Israeli and Qatari officials meet to explore new hostage cease-fire deal: WSJ

Israeli and Qatari officials planned to meet in Norway on Saturday in an effort to strike a new deal to release hostages held in Gaza, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was set to meet with David Barnea, director of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, in Oslo, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

"Significant obstacles impede a resumption of negotiations on a new hostage deal, the people said, including disagreements over the possible terms within Hamas, the U.S.-designated terror group whose Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel sparked the Gaza war," the Journal reported.

These talks would be the first meeting between senior Israeli and Qatari officials since a week-long cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas fell apart two weeks ago. The truce ended after Hamas did not free a group of female hostages and two young children who remain captive in Gaza.

The report comes a day after Israel said IDF troops mistakenly killed three hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza City. 

During a week-long truce in late November, Hamas released more than 100 women, children and foreigners it was holding in Gaza in exchange for the release of 240 women and teenagers.